Team MMD is enjoying our holiday break right now, but I’m popping in from my quiet house to share a lazy-day collection of the interesting reads I enjoyed this week, plus a handful (okay, just two!) favorite things I’m enjoying right now.
I hope the next few days are what you need them to be, and that this collection of interesting reads and favorite things helps ease you into that welcome state of mind.
My favorite finds from around the web:
I offer gift links for articles whenever possible (you may still need to create an account with the publication); if there’s no gift link and you’re not a subscriber, check to see if your library carries the publication or use a service like Pocket.
26 years later, people are relating to You’ve Got Mail’s celebration of small life more than ever. (Glamour) “Ephron spends a lot of time painting a picture of Kathleen’s happy existence within an ecosystem of little shops. Kathleen’s world is small. She walks to work at her little bookshop passing other charming local shops on the way. She knows everyone.”
What Book Publishing Needs to Consider in 2025. (Publishing Confidential) Media coverage, AI, tariffs, and more.
Our board game-loving friends gave us this fun game called Just One several years ago and it’s become a holiday staple around here, perfect for cozy game nights at home and friend and family gatherings.
Behold! 2024’s Most Stunning Space Photos. (Scientific American) WOW.
50 Contemporary Poets on the Best Poems they Read in 2024. (LitHub) Every single one is available to read for free online!
My favorite posts of 2024. (MMD) The Modern Mrs Darcy posts that meant the most to me in 2024.
10 Life Lessons for Grown-Ups From Children’s Classics. (New York Times gift link) “In the holiday spirit and with New Year’s resolutions ahead, here are 10 enduring takeaways from some of the best children’s books, which, like most great art, work for all ages.”
These last days of the year are a great time to set up your 2025 book journal! I’ll wager that my journal My Reading Life will do good things for your reading life. Available from Target, Amazon, Bookshop, or wherever you like to buy your new books.
11 Tiny Ways To Change Your Life Right Now. (Bustle) “If you truly want to make a change in the new year, it’s best to focus on small, manageable goals that are fun and easy to do. The real trick, though, lies in ensuring you choose new habits that’ll show results right away.”
We’ve been baking up a storm all week, including this new-to-us recipe for Lemon-Turmeric Crinkle Cookies that was a refreshing change of pace, flavor-wise, from our usual holiday cookie selections. (NYT Cooking gift link)
Ted Lasso’s Christmas Episode Is A Sad Reminder Of What TV Shows Have Lost Thanks To Streaming. (ScreenRant) We rewatched this episode this week and enjoyed it so much. “Streaming platforms, in contrast to network TV shows, have much shorter seasons of just 6-12 episodes. With so few episodes, streaming shows are more serialized and wholly plot-driven by necessity. Because of this, they lose standalone episodes that lend depth to a show without having to drive the plot forward, like amazing TV Christmas episodes.”
Reading for quality over quantity. (What Should I Read Next?) Our final WSIRN episode of the year features a guest who lives on a Christmas tree farm! She’s wrestling with an age-old dilemma: how to prioritize reading well (if slowly) when reading challenge culture goads us to prioritize reading more.
Detroit-area library says Chicago man can keep overdue baseball book—50 years later. (AP) “Chuck Hildebrandt, 63, of Chicago said he visited the public library in Warren while in town for Thanksgiving, carrying a book titled Baseball’s Zaniest Stars. He had borrowed it in 1974 as a 13-year-old ‘baseball nut’ but never returned it.”
From the backlist:
20 riveting wilderness mystery and suspense novels. These gripping tales about detectives, park rangers, and hikers are perfect for enjoying indoors, preferably in front of a cozy fireplace.
13 skincare favorites for winter weather. Nothing makes me pay more attention to my skin than winter weather.
7 books that will make you a better human. Have you ever read a book and thought the world would be a better place if EVERYONE read this?
Have a great weekend!
One comment
I loved using your book “My Reading Life” for tracking my reading last year! All year long I looked forward to reviewing it after the last book was inked in and I just have to say it was so rewarding! My favorite part was the “thoughts and impressions”. Every book had something to say to me, whether I liked it in the end or not. I’m a convert. Already have my fresh new copy for 2025! Thank you!
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